WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) plan to use metal detectors more often throughout high schools in the district, officials say.
WS/FCS said when students return to school on Tuesday, April 11, there will be an increased frequency in the random use of metal detectors at all high schools.
The district already uses the metal detectors randomly at schools but said it will up its frequency.
According to the school system, some of the detectors at middle schools will be moved to the district's 13 high schools.
Sunnie Gray is a parent at East Forsyth High School. Gray and her family know what it's like to lose a teenager to a school shooting.
Gray says William Miller Jr. who was shot and killed at Mount Tabor High School in 2021, was a family member.
"My family has seen firsthand what can happen in a school system when situations happen, and things are not safe when things are being brought into the school system," said Gray.
Gray says she currently has three kids at East Forsyth High School and is grateful for this change.
"It gives me a little bit of clarity knowing that something is being done in the school systems where my children can actually go to school and get a safe education," said Gray.
Fellow parent, Nicole Lightener echoed that message.
"What you do with a problem is find a solution. So, of course nothings 100%, but that's kind of, one of the things they can do to help," Lightener said.
Jonathan Wilson is over the district's security; he says the incident at Forsyth Tech sped up the timeline to move detectors from middle to high schools.
On top of other resources like door access cameras, access controls, and SRO's, the detectors are just another safety measure.
"We use those all, in conjunction with each other, and use them as a multi layered approach. I feel as though we're in a much better position than just saying we're gonna put all of our eggs in one basket," Wilson explained.
The security team and Walkertown Principal Misty Walker will share updates about the tweaks to current district practice during a meeting Tuesday.
The increased security comes as students returned to Forsyth Tech this past Monday after an incident last Thursday, which prompted a campus-wide shutdown.
Winston-Salem police said an 18-year-old Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy student, Sha'nnon Pitts, shot himself in the hand inside a bathroom stall at the Strickland Center.
They don't know if the shooting was an accident or not.
Police charged Pitts with two counts of possession of a weapon on education property and one count of carrying a concealed weapon.
Classes were canceled for the day and the campus closed for the remainder of the week.
Forsyth Tech students returned to campus next Tuesday following Spring Break.
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